The Directorate of Criminal Investigations – DCI on Thursday, September 21, revealed the tactics adopted after the Westgate attack in 2013.
In a statement, the unit listed establishment of special police units as part of its preparedness strategies noting that the police service moved to upgrade the DCI-Anti-Terrorism Police Unit.
Additionally, DCI noted that the Emergency Response Team (ERT) was established to cater for cases where forces adept with rescuing hostages are required.
“Consequently, the DCI-Anti-Terrorism Police Unit was upgraded, and a highly specialized counterterrorism and hostage rescue tactical team – the Emergency Response Team (ERT) established,” the statement read.
According to the DCI, the ERT is a highly motivated force and is always on standby around the clock in case of any terror related attack.
DCI Community policing
Further, the investigative unit mentioned the Fichua na DCI platform which allows citizens to relay information regarding any suspicious activity to authorities.
The platform, according to DCI, receives about 50 calls in a day, half of which are actionable, and hence aiding in getting credible information for timely intervention.
Moreover, DCI stated that security agencies resorted to adopting a multi-agency approach in responding to security threats.
Notably, previous reports have indicated that various security agencies deployed in response to the Westgate attack on September 21, 2013, clashed over control.
Remembering Westgate
The statement came 10 years after the Westgate attack, one of the deadliest in Kenya, took the country by shock.
Dozens of people who had visited the shopping mall for their regular shopping were killed while others escaped with multiple stories to tell.
The ordeal lasted for over 2 days, engulfing the nation in fear over the attack that left 67 people dead.
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10 years later, the mall has since had a facelift and restored operations albeit without erasing memories of September 2013.
Private security preparedness
On Thursday, Fazoul Mohamed- the Director General of the Private Security Regulatory Authority, took part in commemoration ceremony at the Westgate Mall.
Additionally, Fazoul visited various malls to inspect the level of preparedness for such attacks where the private security personnel performed drills.
Since the 2013 attack, Kenya has also faced several cases of terror activities targeting civilians including the Dusit Hotel attack in January 2018.
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However, security agencies were lauded for their improvement and the way they handled the attack.
In the Dusit case, security officers managed to kill the attackers and recover the ammunition used.
A special team dispatched from Ruiru also managed to neutralize the attackers who stormed Garissa University in 2015.
